Stories

Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance

In our weekly updates, we share stories of our presence and impact around the world: from disaster response, to refugee and immigration ministry, to ongoing sustainable development projects in impoverished areas. Catch up on updates you missed, or find stories you want to read and share again! Or, subscribe to receive weekly email updates.

In Liberia and Sierra Leone, Week of Compassion is planting seeds for the future--literally and figuratively.

Ten years ago, Week of Compassion partner Agricultural Missions started the West Africa Initiative (WAI) as part of reconstruction following the 14-year civil war that devastated much of the rural sector in both countries. The initial focus of WAI was to improve food security in rural communities by increasing local food production. Through this comprehensive rural development program, Week of Compassion partners work to organize and train local farmers’ groups. But there are many challenges.

Following a disaster, immediate needs are clear: food, water, shelter, emergency care. But many other needs emerge in the longer term, and one of the most critical is the need for children to return to school.

As Wharton County resident, Steve B, recounted it: “In town the water was knee deep. The muddy flood waters went in houses through windows, and after the water receded, the mud had to be raked out with hoes and shovels. The streets and yards were nothing but mud caked caverns.”* The flood left Steve and many of his friends practically homeless and jobless, as their small farms were destroyed. As they started to get back on their feet, another flood came just a few years later.

In Australia, high temperatures and drought conditions are contributing to one of the worst fire seasons in living memory. Since September, these fires have burned across 28 million acres, killing at least 28 people and an estimated 480 million animals. Meanwhile, thousands of people have been displaced as the fire danger inches closer to their homes. The heartbreaking news footage offers just a glimpse of the widespread destruction, and Disciples are wondering how to help. ​